Comfort
by G30FF
Summary: When two friends with similar problems find solace in each other's presence, something unexpected just might happen... Some mature themes near the end.
1. Chapter 1

**Comfort**  
A vignette by **G30FF**

* * *

**Author Notes:**  
On Wednesday, June 8th, I learned that in Sonic issue 150, Bunnie and Sonic made out, and woke up next to each other. This caused quite a stir among fans, especially among those who frequented Ken Penders' message board. Not surprisingly, it met with a lot of hostility. I still think it's because a lot of them were acting out their frustrations at the idea that Sonic was not being paired off with the girl of their preference, but that's just me. In general, people thought it was out of left field and extremely out of character. 

I personally had to disagree. I had always thought somewhere in the back of my mind that had they been given the chance, Sonic and Bunnie could have made a good couple, especially in light of the events since the Home arc. And then Ken had to go and ruin it by making it Anti-Sonic pretending to be the real Sonic who's been macking on ALL the girls in Knothole.

I hadn't had the urge to write a fanfic in a long time. But after all my thoughts on the matter, any my subsequent frustration at the seeming cop-out, something in me snapped. I knew that Sonic and Bunnie could have an emotional connection that had been squandered. The result of my sudden inspiration is here now for you to see. Mature themes near the end, but nothing you wouldn't see on your average daytime soap opera.

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters are copyright to SEGA, DiC, and Archie Comics. I make no claims to their ownership. This story is set in the Archie Comics Sonicverse, and features an alternative pairing. If you want to comment, please actually make it about the writing. I don't want to be the target of SonicXSally, SonicXAmy, or SonicXMina fans.

* * *

All was quiet next to the power ring pool where Sonic sat. He hadn't wanted to be alone for a long time; not when his father was attacked and almost killed, not when Sally and he got into their public shouting match on the eve of his return to Knothole, not even when Sally all but ended their relationship. He had never quite gotten back on good speaking terms with her. He felt as if he had to walk on eggshells whenever she was around, for fear of invoking another bout of verbal abuse. Sonic Hedgehog was never the most observant when it came to the emotions of others, he was the first to admit that. He could be as dense as a cinder block when he had to deal with other peoples' emotions. 

No, Sonic hadn't felt the need to be alone for a good long time. But tonight, he just wanted to get away from everyone else. His parents were glad to dote on him and Tails, and were always concerned for him. He tried to assure them that nothing was wrong, that he could handle himself. That he was "cool".

Therein lay the problem. Sonic always had to look cool. Never show weakness, never show emotion, and perpetually be the skilled fighter he grew up as.

No weakness…

Part of the reason he was out here today was because his weaknesses had caught up to him and he couldn't just will them away as he had in the past. He had talked to Sally again. He tried to confront her about their relationship. Sally rebuffed him and excused herself to continue working.

Sonic had a very little grasp of the mechanics of the female mind. Sally's behavior was an enigma to him. He told himself that if she still loved him as he did her, she would have reacted differently. She would have at least tried to talk to him. But he just couldn't understand why she was so insistent on pushing him out of her life, unless she really did not love him anymore.

And that was the reason he was out here tonight. Not since he thought Knothole destroyed by Dr. Robotnik's Ultimate Annihilator and Sally dead by his own hand had he felt so…empty. In a way, this was almost worse to him. When he thought she had died, he had known he would never see her again. But to know that she was still so close and yet so far was painful to him. One often laments what one cannot have.

Sonic sat up from his position on the cool grass, and grasped a small flat stone that lay on the edge of the lake. Taking a moment to admire its shape and weight in his hand, the hedgehog grimaced, reeled back his arm and hurled the stone out towards the middle of the lake, taking some grim satisfaction in the smacking sound it made as it skipped across the water once, twice, three times, and then _plop_, as it sank. Abusing that small rock would have normally made Sonic feel better. Venting his frustrations through simple activities like rock throwing was therapeutic for him. But frustration was not his plight tonight, and as Sonic watched the rock, he didn't feel any better. He felt the same way he felt before, empty. Like there was a hole in his stomach that was growing by the minute.

Sonic's gloved hand closed around another rock, and his eyes closed. "Sally…" he muttered, as he picked the rock up, pulled his arm back. "Why?" he asked almost angrily, throwing the rock. This time, there was no elegant skipping. This time, it struck the water and simply sank.

* * *

Bunnie Rabbot had been carrying a solemn look on her face for months now. Everyone in Knothole knew it. And everyone also knew why. The half-rabbit half-machine hadn't completely gotten over the shock of her breakup with Antoine, King Acorn's new favourite soldier. She was unable to explain the strange, sudden change in attitude the young fox had gone through, from a loving, caring companion into a cold, ruthless soldier. The worst part of it was his complete inability to express love to her. He had ignored her, he had yelled at her when she tried to talk to him. He even had the gall to call her a freak. That stung her the hardest. She had a choice whether to try and go back to normal or to make her bionics permanent, and the choice was heavily influenced by his love for her. 

She remembered it vividly. She asked him what he would prefer, and he told her that it didn't matter as long as he could be with her. She had never been happier in her life than to know how deeply he loved her. He gave her the strength to give up what she had wanted ever since she got her robotic parts.

And now he was gone.

Bunnie was never the same since the breakup. Even her best friend, Sally, had noticed it and tried to offer her support. But Bunnie never felt right asking for relationship advice from Sally, knowing the problems she was having on her own. She was a good friend. Bunnie wished she had more time for her friends like she did in the old days of the Freedom Fighters and, bless Sally's soul, she tried to help. But even Sally's support was not enough for her. It was times like this that she wished her parents were still around. She watched the relationship Sonic had with his parents with greater envy more than her other friends. Rotor had a family, but he rarely saw them. Sally had a family, but they were of regal blood. They were far from a normal family in her eyes. Even Antoine had his father. But she envied Sonic the most. He had a mom, he had a dad, and he had an uncle. He even had a surrogate little brother in Tails. And they were close. To her, they were the ideal. An ideal she had not known for a long time.

It was nights like this, when she just couldn't stand to bottle up her anxieties, her frustrations, her sorrow, that she just had to be alone. She wanted nothing more than to spend the night with her torrential emotions, and the calm serene forest around her, and just let it all out. She often went out to the ring pool at night, when nobody was around, to just cry, to allow all of her sorrow to just flow from her like water from a broken dam. She knew there was nobody else who could understand her pain. Who else knew the kind of loss and isolation she knew?

As she neared her preferred place near the lake, she heard something. Her long ears perked up as the plunking sound grew louder. Could someone else already be here? Probably just some happy couple enjoying the night air. Just what she needed right now, a reminder of how lonely she was. Bunnie hid behind a tree near to the water's edge, silently trying to catch sight of who was in her reserved spot. She was surprised beyond hell to see a familiar blue figure sitting at the shore of the lake, hurling stones at the water. She watched as he seemed to put a force into each throw that she only ever saw him turn on an enemy, and then watched his strong form droop, as if burdened by a heavy weight around his neck.

Bunnie was always a nurturing sort. And as such, when she saw the despondent hedgehog wallowing in sorrow, she had a realization.

Perhaps she didn't really need to be alone right now after all.

* * *

Sonic soon found his zeal for rock throwing dwindling almost as soon as it began. Soon, his throws were all anger and no skill, and he seemed content just trying to see how far he could throw them, as he couldn't muster up the desire to aim properly. He picked up one more rock, tossed it up in the air once, and then flung it out towards the pool. The rock sailed through the air and made a loud _plop_ as it fell into the middle of the lake. 

Sonic was shocked from his idle pursuit by a familiar soft southern female voice from behind him. "Got a good arm on you, sugar," he heard. The hedgehog jumped a bit and his head whipped around in time to catch Bunnie emerging from the tree cover to stand in the clearing by the lake. The rabbit had a weak smile on her face, and her hands were clasped behind her back. Sonic immediately noticed how different she looked now. She had left her side arms, jacket, and that odd cowboy hat she had worn since he returned from space behind, apparently, and now wore the purple outfit he had been so accustomed to seeing her in. The sight was almost nostalgic for the hedgehog, who had become so sick of the unwelcome surprises and changes that had occurred since his disappearance.

Of course, rather than voice any of it, Sonic simply replied with, "Thanks," before turning his attention back to the water.

Bunnie approached Sonic slowly, and gingerly sat next to him on the soft grass overlooking the lake. "Is this seat taken?" she asked quietly. Sonic shook his head, and proceeded to tug his knees up to his chest and cross his arms over them. "Would you like to talk, sugar-hog?" she asked him.

"No," Sonic replied gruffly, hoping she would take the hint and leave him to his misery.

Bunnie was unfazed by his tartness, and continued, "Sometimes it can help."

"Not this time," Sonic told her. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me. You'd be surprised how much I understand," she told him, turning her head to face him. "I'm not just another pretty face, after all."

Sonic had to allow himself a small laugh despite himself. And he had to agree with her. For all the time he knew her, Bunnie had always seemed wiser than she let on. She was like the big sister who just knew everything you were thinking. Slowly, the hedgehog hero lifted his head from his arms, and turned to face the rabbit. He looked her right in the eye for a moment. It had been a long time since he had just talked to Bunnie like this. Sure, he had gone on missions with her often, as the two were the most adventurous of the Freedom Fighters. His speed and her strength were a remarkable combination. But he never really noticed before now that she had such deep green eyes. "Do you know what it's like to be tossed aside like a used rag?" he asked, not in an accusing way, but with a voice that seemed to beg for someone who understood what he was going through. "To be ignored and pushed away by someone you cared for and you thought cared for you? Someone that used to give you strength just by being there? Someone…" Sonic stopped himself there. He was starting to get a bit too emotional for his own good. He had to stay cool, he told himself. He didn't want to make Bunnie worry about him.

"Someone who used to complete you?" she finished, observing Sonic's reactions. He looked a bit surprised at her intuition, but simply nodded, suddenly very interested in what she had to say.

"Yeah," he replied. Sheepishly he added, "I guess you know who I'm talking about, huh?"

She nodded. "I had an inkling."

Sonic appeared uncomfortable for a moment. He knew what he was supposed to say next, but it was difficult for him. Talking about his feelings with anyone was difficult for him to do under any circumstances. He had problems talking about them with his own parents. But he knew he couldn't get out of it now. He had started this, and he had to finish it. "I just don't know why she wants me away from her so desperately. It was never this bad before. She won't talk to me unless it's absolutely necessary. Whenever I try to bring up our relationship she changes the subject. She just won't let me get near her!" Sonic wasn't even aware that he had raised his voice and clenched his fist. It had just happened. He rarely let go of his emotional reins like this. "I'm sorry," he quickly added, hoping he hadn't scared Bunnie. Turning to face her, he noticed she was now no longer looking at him, but now had her hands on her knees and was staring out over the length of the power ring lake. Sonic thought for a moment that looking at her right now was almost like looking in a mirror. The sad look on her face must have been something like what he had been harboring. Something in him told him she knew exactly what he was going through.

Bunnie lifted her organic hand and ran the fingers through her hair as she watched the ripples on the water surface. "Sally's just afraid of losing you, Sug'," she said.

"But we've been in life-threatening situations before and she's never been like this," Sonic mused. "Why would she start now?"

"Because now she's in command," Bunnie answered. Sonic raised an eyebrow as she continued. "Sally's finally acting like a princess instead of a resistance leader. You both grew up together unhindered by her status, since at that time she was princess in name only. But now she finally has to deal with being royalty. She can't go with us anymore like she used to. She can't take the same risks we can. And I don't think she can handle the idea that whenever you go out without her you may not come home."

"But what gives her the right to be so selfish?" Sonic asked. "If she still does care for me, why won't she just admit it?"

Bunnie turned to look at him. "Because she had to choose whether to be a princess or be your girlfriend. She chose to be a princess."

The two were quiet for a moment. The silence was broken only by the sound of the leaves rustling on the trees above them. Bunnie wanted to break the silence somehow, but wasn't sure what else to say to him. She looked down at her hands, deep in thought…

Her reverie was broken by the sound of a dull cracking sound. Four of them, followed by a deep sound. Bunnie looked up to see the ripples on the water's surface, and then up to Sonic, who was now actually smiling a little. He held out his hand to her. In it was another small, flat rock. "Wanna try?" he asked her.

Bunnie couldn't help but smile back at him. She gingerly reached out with her organic right hand and took up the stone. She didn't have the strength she did in her left arm, but she was more than willing to give it a go. She pulled back her arm, and whipped the stone out into the water. One skip, two skips, three skips, four skips… down. Sonic let out a low whistle. "Nice throw," he commented.

"You're not the only one with a good arm, sugar-hog," she replied. She was having such fun that she had almost forgotten about her own problems. In the effort to help Sonic through his own uncertainty, she had been given a brief relief from her own. Almost. Her head sank again, and Sonic watched her deep green eyes droop. His turn, he mused.

"You seem to know where I was coming from," he said to her, tilting his head down to look at her.

Bunnie nodded slowly. "Yeah…I do," she replied.

"Why not try me? I'm not just another pretty face, you know," Sonic replied.

Bunnie's head slowly lifted, and she turned to face her hedgehog companion. She had always noticed the youthful energy he exuded, like he was a perpetual child in a grown-up body. But she realized that before now she had never really looked at his eyes. He had the green eyes of an adventurer, of a person with a kind and big heart, the eyes not of a child but of a man, of a friend. She sighed. "I guess you can already figure out what my problem's about," she remarked.

Sonic didn't need superhuman intuition to tell him what her problem was. "Antoine?" he asked. She nodded. "You guys never did tell me what happened to him," he added.

"That's just it," she began, "we don't know. It happened so suddenly during the war that none of us really knew what brought it on. It was as if he was suddenly a different person overnight. I just…" She choked up for a moment, before taking a deep breath to recompose herself. She felt Sonic's gloved hand on her back, stroking it gently as he tried to encourage her to keep talking. The warmth of his hand contrasted sharply with the cool air around them, and she shivered a bit. "When he changed, he just started acting so cold, so distant. Like fighting was the only thing that mattered to him. Not his friends, not me…"

"And that's when you broke up?"

She shook her head. "No, we broke up after I tried to make it work… When I tried to talk to him, tried to get him to open up to me, he got really nasty… I tried to shake it off and keep going, thinking I could fix things. But then…"

Sonic could see Bunnie visibly shake. He shifted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her against him. He did it instinctively, as if he knew she needed this. "Then…?" he asked.

"He called me a robotic freak," Bunnie continued, forcing the words from her mouth as if puking up vomit. Sonic's eyes widened, and his arm stopped moving. "After he said that, I just couldn't go on with him. Antoine or no Antoine, he wasn't the same person who sat with me in the hospital and helped me decide to stay this way for good. I just wish I knew why he did what he did."

Sonic could see Bunnie start to tear up. She understood his pain, a lot more than he realized at first. She knew what it was like to be tossed aside. Immediately, he used both arms to hug her to him. Bunnie didn't care at the moment that this was Sonic, Sally's beau, one of her best friends hugging her. She just grasped his back, careful of his spines, and started to cry into his shoulder. They remained like that, a tableau of pain and anguish, for some time, while Bunnie sobbed and Sonic stroked her back in an attempt to comfort her. Gradually, Bunnie started to stop crying, and Sonic pulled back a little, holding her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

"I've been thinking," he began. "You know what our problem is?" She shook her head. "We're clinging onto the past, to things we can't and may never have again. And you know what I think? Forget them."

Bunnie blinked at him, lifting a hand to wipe her tears away, looking at him in disbelief. "What?" she asked.

"Forget them," Sonic said, standing up and glancing over the water. "You helped me realize something I should have thought about a long time ago. Sally just doesn't want to cope with the idea of losing me, and I just have to do what I think is right. But neither of us can change. I can't change who I am any more than she can change being a princess. So you know what? Forget it. If Sally can't deal with it, she shouldn't string me along like this." He looked down at her. "And you shouldn't have to deal with it either. Antoine doesn't want you anymore? Well forget him. It's his loss. He's given up a great thing. You're a great person, smart, funny, strong, pretty… There're plenty of guys in Knothole who would treat you much better than he would."

Bunnie pushed herself to her feet, shaking her head. "That just seems impossible, to turn off our feelings like a light switch," she remarked. "I don't think I could do that."

"We can't do that," Sonic added. "I know we can't. But we can realize that we have to move on with our lives. Dwelling on what they've done to us won't help us at all, it just leads to this," he explained, gesturing to the darkened area of the forest they had been sitting in. "It won't be easy at all, but at least we know we're not alone."

Bunnie looked at him for a moment, a small smile trying to tug away from her sadness. "No. We've got each other."

"And nothing helps more than having a friend to talk to," Sonic continued, as his smile started to turn into a smirk, and he began to trot towards the water's edge.

Bunnie raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to, Sug'?"

"Oh, nothing much… just this!" Sonic exclaimed, as he quickly reached down and scooped up a handful of the cool water and flung it at Bunnie, laughing.

Bunnie let out a quick shriek as the water hit her, matting her fur down, sliding off her bionics. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that, Hedgehog!" she replied, as she rushed for the water's edge, retaliating.

For 10 glorious minutes, the pain and suffering that filled the clearing was gone, replaced with a pure, euphoric happiness. A genuine delight that filled the both of them, and seemed to wash away all their troubles as the water fight washed the dirt from them. Even the stars outside seemed to twinkle with a newfound brightness as the pair laughed and played beneath their light.

Finally, exhausted, they fell to the ground next to each other, laughing still, and turned to face each other. "You're soaking wet," Sonic remarked.

"So are you," Bunnie replied. "I got you more than you got me," she challenged.

"No way! I so got you more!" Sonic retorted, rolling on to his side, his pride immediately rising up in defense of itself.

Bunnie casually rolled on her side and replied, "Nuh-uh, sugar-hog."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not times infinity," Sonic retorted, smirking.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Sonic was showing a side of him that she had never known he had: tenderness. She felt so special, so desirable…

Neither of them saw it coming. It was almost as if something snapped in their minds, as if the storm of emotions they had shared that evening had decided to go out with a tremendous bang. In a split second, Sonic and Bunnie found themselves kissing. They couldn't remember how it had started or who even initiated it, but they couldn't have cared less at that moment. Their mouths were locked together, their tongues playing each other for superiority as their bodies grabbed at each other for support. Their eyes closed as the kiss continued. Bunnie felt something move her, and dared to open her eyes again. Sonic was now off her lips, having rolled her onto her back, his hands working on her purple outfit, but his eyes never leaving hers, and a loving smile greeting her. "What are—" she tried to ask, but was cut off by his lips returning to hers, causing the swirling vortex of feelings to catch her again, her fires stoked at the feeling of his lips moving down her neck.

Her mind drifted to Sally momentarily, how if she were to find out what they did, she would be infuriated. She hated to think of her best friend feeling like that, but at that moment she remembered Sonic's words from earlier. She had given him up. She knew she wouldn't have to worry about Antoine. She never had. Sonic was right, they did need to move on. He was also right about something else. There WAS a guy in Knothole who could treat her better than Antoine did. And she now lay with him.

Before she completely let herself go, she heard him utter something to her in advance of what they would share tonight.

"Thank you."

Smiling, she softly replied, "Thank you too."

Neither of them said another word the rest of the evening.


	2. Chapter 2

**Comfort part 2**  
By **G30FF**

* * *

**Author Notes:**  
Once I finished writing the first part of this series, I had already told myself that I wanted to continue it. I had set out to prove that there was a possibility for a viable relationship between Sonic and Bunnie and I did that, but I found myself asking questions, most notably, how would this change their relationships with the other characters? What would Sally do if she found out? The result of this you see here now.

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters are copyright to SEGA, DiC, and Archie Comics. I make no claims to their ownership. This story is set in the Archie Comics Sonicverse, and features an alternative pairing. If you want to comment, please actually make it about the writing. I don't want to be the target of SonicXSally, SonicXAmy, or SonicXMina fans. Some suggestive content, but nothing too bad.

* * *

Bunnie awoke in the familiar surroundings of her own bedroom. As she groggily wiped the sleep from her eyes, her gaze drifted over the window dressings, the pale blue walls of the room, the dresser on which she kept assorted photos of her friends and a makeup mirror… and finally fell on the still sleeping form next to her.

Sonic the Hedgehog. Bunnie smiled to herself as she thought about her slumbering friend, wondering what he was dreaming… He had done something for her that he did for very few people. He exposed himself. He showed his true self to her, a side that was kind, supporting, loving, and passionate. And she embraced all that he had deigned to offer her. Being with him that night had been such a wonderful experience for her, as if she had finally rediscovered something that had gone missing for a long time. Not before Antoine's sudden change had she felt so complete.

Antoine… That unpleasant reminder had served to draw her attention back to reality. As much as she may enjoy her newfound affections for the hedgehog, she had failed to think about what would become of her friends. Sally still loved him, and she knew that. And yet she went so far as to sleep with Sonic, and what's worse, she didn't regret it. She almost felt that she should, since Sally was her best friend and what she did was a very underhanded thing to do to a best friend. But she couldn't. Not after what she had been through, after what he had been through… how they each needed someone who could understand what the other was going through… She couldn't make herself regret it, no matter how much she thought she should.

She was shaken from her train of thought as she felt something warm wrap around her and pull her back down to the mattress. She let out a quick yelp in protest, until she turned her face and saw Sonic's grin meet her. "Good morning," he told her.

Bunnie couldn't suppress the grin that was forming on her face, and she leaned towards him and kissed him. "Good morning yourself, sug'," she replied.

"That was some night, huh?" Sonic asked, letting his fingers roam over her lower back.

She nodded in response. "I don't even remember how we got home."

Sonic chuckled. "That's easy. I carried you back after you fell asleep."

"How considerate of you," Bunnie remarked with a smile. "Quite the gentleman you are."

"I know, I know," he said, as he hugged her a bit tighter.

The two were quiet for a moment as they relaxed in the quiet surroundings of Bunnie's bedroom, before she felt the need to ask something. "Sonic…" Sonic immediately took notice that she hadn't used her typical name for him, and assumed this must be important. "Where do we go from here?" she asked, looking at him.

Sonic looked to be thinking about it for a moment, and to Bunnie it felt almost like an eternity of waiting. Finally, he looked right at her, and answered, "Tonight we're going to dinner."

She smiled broader. "You mean it?"

"Unless I'm wrong, that's what couples do, isn't it?" he asked with his trademark grin, to which Bunnie replied by throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a tight hug. Sonic had to ease himself out of the hug a bit, as her strength started to hurt him a bit. Bunnie realized what she was doing and let go of him, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Sorry," she remarked, looking down a bit.

"No sweat," he replied, smiling. "We'll get better at that."

"Yeah…" Bunnie's face started to look more solemn. "I'd like nothing more than to go to dinner with you tonight and every night, but…"

This time it was Sonic's turn to look worried. "But?" he asked.

"But… I don't think I'd feel right about seeing you until we told everyone," she finished. Sonic looked as if he understood, and that made her glad. "I mean, Sally especially deserves to know."

"I know," he told her, before lying back on the bed, arms behind his head and his eyes on the ceiling. "She's not gonna take it well," he stated.

"No," Bunnie told him, as she lay back to join him, tugging the sheets up to her neck, "she's not. But she deserves to know. She still loves you."

Sonic grimaced. "She's got a funny way of showing it." He felt Bunnie's form press against his side, and he looked down at her. "She's at a stressful time in her life," Sonic began. "I don't think it'd be right to spring this on her right now. Maybe we'd be better off waiting for a while before we told her. She's angry now, and if we were to tell her this she'd only get angrier, especially at me, but also at you. I know how close you are, and if we told her now your friendship with her would be in danger."

She looked up at him slowly, a serious gaze meeting his. "You may be right… But we can't put this off for too long. The longer we take, the harder it'll be on her and the worse off things will be in the end."

Sonic nodded in reply. "We'll tell her as soon as things calm down, okay?" he asked her, a smile returning to his face. Bunnie smiled in turn and nodded back to him. Then she began to rise.

"I'd best get up," she said, pushing the covers to the side and trying to sit up. "You'd best get going too, don't wanna look suspicious if you're already heeEERE!" Bunnie's voice tapered off into a small shriek, as she felt herself pulled back to the bed again, and felt Sonic's lips on hers, eroding her resolve like a pebble in a flood.

"Leaving so soon?" Sonic asked, his smile now a full fledged grin, full of energy and playfulness. His lips moved over her like he was playing a musical instrument, and Bunnie's eyes drifted shut with only one thought in her mind. Maybe a few more minutes wouldn't hurt…

* * *

For the next few days, things went well for the fledgling couple. Dr. Robotnik had been quiet for the last while. Sally was suspicious, and nobody could blame her. Quiet usually meant he was up to something. Sally insisted that everyone stay on the alert for any sign of activity on the New Megaopolis front. Sally herself was frequently unavailable to all but the Secret Service, much to Sonic's chagrin. She was poring herself over scout reports from New Megaopolis, determined to find out what Robotnik's scheme was. 

Despite Sonic or Bunnie's inability to reach Sally and tell her of what they did, they did their best to make the most of things. Bunnie never knew how romantic the hedgehog was until she started to get on the receiving end of his attention. They still hadn't started seeing each other publicly, but Sonic arranged for them to meet in the evenings when they had the time to do so. Bunnie was always surprised by his creativity in planning their get-togethers. When they were together, he was kind, cheerful, affectionate… She enjoyed every moment of their time together. She learned more and more about him every day, and she in turn told him more about herself. She was a good friend of his before their relationship, of course, but she learned things about him that he rarely told anybody. When they first started, she had been concerned that their affections were simply the result of their pain, and worried that they may never be able to form a real relationship. But with every passing day, her doubt began to fade, as they become closer personally, emotionally, and physically.

That thought was on her mind now as she proceeded towards the ring pool to meet with Sonic again. He had told her he had a surprise planned for her earlier that day, and she was excited to see what he had in mind. The thought of their physical attachment made her blush. They had no problems with that particular aspect of their relationship. One of the things she never knew about Sonic was that he could be so… frisky. He had no qualms about accenting his emotional affection with physical.

Before she knew it, she found herself at the edge of the lake, and got her glimpse of Sonic's surprise. Her mouth turned up into a wide smile as she stepped out into view.

Sonic had prepared a late night picnic for them. He had a blanket laid out by the water's edge, two plates, and an assortment of food. In the middle sat a long lit candle in a glass holder, and laying back on one side of the blanket was the one she had most wanted to see. Bunnie tiptoed up to him, kneeling behind his head and looking down at him. "Fancy seeing you here," Sonic remarked with a grin.

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble, sugar," Bunnie told him, smiling as she looked down at his boyish grin with adoration. "You don't have to impress me."

Sonic simply leaned up and kissed her. "Is it working?" he asked.

Bunnie simply laughed and kissed him again.

* * *

Tails was always a curious fox. He was known around Knothole as a mechanical prodigy, despite his youth, and when he saw something he didn't understand, he did whatever was in his power to learn. So naturally, when Tails noticed how late Sonic was out the last few days, he became curious. When he got in, Sonic insisted he wasn't doing much, but Tails DID notice that when he came home, he usually looked pretty tired but also very happy. In fact, Tails hadn't been able to remember the last time Sonic looked so cheerful, at least not since Sally broke up with him. He wasn't exactly sure what to make of it; he didn't think Sonic found someone else, for he didn't think Sonic could love anyone but Sally. But he couldn't figure out any other reason for Sonic's frequent disappearances. What could he be doing? 

Tonight, the kit was determined to find out.

He started with all of Sonic's usual haunts. The game room, Uncle Chuck's restaurant… He even tried the castle. No luck. Tails was starting to run out of ideas. Could Sonic be going to fight on his own? It was possible… Sonic WAS reckless at times, but there was no way Tails could find out without leaving on his own. He hadn't seen Bunnie either, perhaps she went with him? The two did go on a lot of missions together. Tails sometimes regretted all the time she spent with him, but as Rotor kept telling him, he was part of the "brain trust". He was one of the thinkers, not the fighters. That bothered him too; he was as good a Freedom Fighter as anyone. Besides, he was a lot closer to Sonic than Bunnie was.

Or so he thought.

Tails had finally decided he would sit out by the power ring lake to think before he packed it in for the night. On the way, Tails could have sworn he heard voices there. But who could possibly be out here this late at night? He also thought he could identify one of the voices as Sonic. But why would he be here? It wasn't like him to just come down here for no reason. He also tried to identify the other voice. It sounded familiar. That southern drawl… Bunnie? Why would they be here together? Nothing could have prepared him for the answer. When Tails hid behind one of the larger trees bordering the lakeside to find out, he saw a sight that almost made his heart stop.

Laying on a blanket by the lakeside were Sonic and Bunnie. And they were kissing. And it didn't look like any old kiss either, this wasn't just a friendly peck. This was a full blown kiss, the kind that Tails had only seen himself a few times and never had himself. His mouth hung open as his mind tried to process the new information. Sonic and… Bunnie? But Sonic loved Sally! Didn't he…? And Bunnie, wasn't she still hung up over Antoine? How long has this been going on? Does Sally know? Does ANYONE ELSE know? This can't be right, Sonic and Bunnie couldn't be a couple!

…Could they?

Tails couldn't bring himself to think about it anymore. It made his heart sink in his chest and made his stomach hurt. One of the constants in his life had always been the knowledge that Sonic loved Sally and that one day they would be together. Even though Sally brushed him off, he was confident in the idea that they would work it out. But now… Tails couldn't even imagine Sonic with someone else. Mina had come close, but Sonic's heart already belonged to Sally. Amy hadn't even been a factor. But Bunnie? He had never even imagined. He imagined her with Antoine. But she and Antoine broke up.

He all of a sudden didn't feel too good. He had to stop watching before he did something stupid. And then he saw something that pushed him over the edge. The two were moving around. They weren't going to… Oh Aurora, they were!

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Tails shouted. He couldn't hold his tongue any more. He only realized what he had done when he watched the two suddenly stop what they were doing and stare at him like a pair of deer about to be run down by a tank. Tears were streaming down Tails' face, and only one instinct was in control. He turned and ran.

"Oh no," Sonic muttered, getting to his feet.

"Oh Aurora," Bunnie muttered, fixing her top and getting to her feet. "What are we gonna do?" she asked Sonic, worried about Tails' state of mind and what would happen if he blabbed it to everyone who would listen.

Sonic took her shoulders in his hands. "Just stay here, I'll find him." He gave her a quick kiss, turned, and took off, leaving a burst of wind that almost caused Bunnie to lose her footing. Bunnie looked down at the blanket, deep in thought, as the candle on the blanket reached its end and simply flickered out.

* * *

Sonic raced as fast as he could to catch up with Tails. The kit had a good head start, but Sonic's speed more than made up for it. He was still embarrassed at the scene he had caught them in, and his greatest hope now was that Tails would still be willing to talk to him. Sonic caught sight of Tails nearby, and before the fox could react, Sonic was standing in front of him, arms out to catch him. "Let me go!" Tails shouted, struggling to get out of Sonic's grasp. 

"Not until you tell me what's the problem!" Sonic responded, holding on tight to Tails. Tails slowly stopped struggling, and Sonic could only feel the kit's heaving form as he sobbed into Sonic's chest. Sonic was surprised. He rarely if ever saw Tails in this state. He knew Tails was more emotional than he was at the best of times, but he had no idea seeing him and Bunnie together would do this to Tails. Sonic felt butterflies in his stomach as the grip on Tails turned into a firm hug.

Bunnie was relieved to see Sonic return with Tails in tow. She saw the look on his face and frowned. They shouldn't have been sneaking around to be together, they were inviting this. Sonic led Tails and had him sit by the lake with them, his arm around Tails' shivering shoulders. "Hon," Bunnie began, kneeling in front of him, "What's wrong?"

"Y-y-you know what the problem is," Tails stammered, not daring to meet her eyes, staring into his lap where his hands were crossed.

Bunnie nodded, glancing at Sonic. "Us…?" she asked knowingly. Tails nodded. "Why's it bothering you?" she asked softly, putting her hands over his.

"Because you're Bunnie and Sonic, and you're not supposed to… do things like that," Tails said, still not looking at her.

Both Bunnie and Sonic had to blush as Tails said that. "Hon," Bunnie began, intending to go into a discussion about the birds and the bees with Tails, "Sonic and I are at a time in our lives… when…"

"That's not it," Tails interrupted, shaking his head. "It's just… You two shouldn't be together!"

Sonic was about to speak up, but Bunnie held a hand up to silence him before he started. "Why do you say that?"

"Because!" Tails replied, appearing a little more frustrated. "Sonic's supposed to be with Aunt Sally, and you're supposed to be with Antoine!" He looked at Sonic. "How would you feel if you saw your mom doing that with Uncle Chuck?"

The look in Sonic's eyes told him he understood. Bunnie sighed. "But Tails, I left Antoine, and Sally broke up with Sonic."

"But they were gonna work it out!" Tails responded, finally looking up at her. "Sonic and Aunt Sally still love each other, they're gonna work things out and everything will be right again!" Tails was starting to look desperate for someone to tell him that he was just having a bad dream and that he would wake up soon. Bunnie wished she could tell him something, ANYTHING, to make him feel better.

She was surprised when Sonic took over for her. "Buddy," he started, "things are a little more complicated than that." Tails looked up at him, tearing up again. "When you get a little older, love is… Well, I mean…" Sonic stopped. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and finally figured out what to say.

"Tails, I do still love Sally." Bunnie listened as intently as Tails was, trying to hold her reflexes in check as she listened to Sonic's words. "Somewhere in me, I'll always love her. But when you get older, love isn't always enough."

"I don't understand," Tails said truthfully. "Why can't it be?"

"Because sometimes it doesn't work out," Sonic answered him, turning to face him. "Sally and I may still have some love for each other, but we can't be together. She's a princess, I'm a fighter. Our worlds only even met because of Robotnik. I fell for her because of the war. And now that we're falling into the roles that we're supposed to be filling, we're realizing that the love we felt just won't carry us through the stress of our jobs. Sally's a ruler, she can't stand my wild boy ways. But I can't change that." He looked up at Bunnie and smiled. "And Bunnie, well… she knows where I'm coming from too."

Bunnie nodded to him. "Yeah, I do…"

Sonic looked back at Tails. "I've fallen in love with Bunnie, Tails. It's the truth. Yes, I have some feelings for Sally, but they won't go anywhere. I can't keep trying to make a relationship with her work when I know it won't. I CAN be with Bunnie, and I want to be. Do you understand?"

Tails was quiet for a moment, before slowly nodding. "Yeah, I do… It's still not easy though…"

Sonic hugged Tails. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way. It wasn't the way we wanted you to find out."

Tails hugged him back, now looking a lot better. It would be some time before he was completely comfortable with this new knowledge, but he supposed he might get used to it in time. He looked up at them, wiping his eyes with his arm, asking, "Does anyone else know?"

Sonic shook his head. "No, I haven't told anyone else yet." He looked at Bunnie.

She said, "Antoine is still with King Acorn on his trip, so I haven't been able to tell him yet. Though I doubt it would make much difference to him."

"So Sally doesn't know?" Tails asked.

"No," Sonic replied.

"Shouldn't you tell her? She deserves to know about this," Tails reasoned.

"Sugar, we will tell her, we just don't know how to do it," Bunnie explained.

Tails looked at her. "But why can't you just tell her right now? If it makes you both happy, shouldn't she be happy with it?" he reasoned. He couldn't imagine how something that made them happy could make Sally angry.

Sonic and Bunnie listened to Tails, and both thought to themselves, "I wish you were right."

* * *

"Dear Aly, 

"After being alone for a long time, I've finally met someone again! He's cute, witty, adventurous, and the sweetest guy I've ever met. I've never been happier. There's just one problem.

"This guy is the ex-boyfriend of my best friend.

"I have no idea what to do, I want to keep seeing him, but I don't know how my friend would react, since I know she still has feelings for him. I'm afraid to tell her too, because I'm afraid of jeopardizing our friendship. I'm at the end of my rope, I don't want to have to choose between the man I love and my best friend. Please help me.

"Desperate."

The Freedom Fighter girls had all gathered in the game hut to read the latest installment of the hit 'Dear Aly' letter column in the Knothole Knews. Amy leaned against the pool table as she read the letter aloud, while Sally, Bunnie, Mina, and Fiona listened on from the chairs and couches. The girls were all listening intently, while Amy continued on to read the response.

"Dear Desperate,

"You aren't the first to fall for the ex of one of your best friends, and you won't be the last. If you are sure your relationship has the makings of a long-term relationship, then you should pursue it. The worst thing you could do is start up a relationship with a guy just because of a mutual physical attraction, or out of sheer emotional desperation, only to find that there is no future in it after you've alienated all of your friends. One should never give their heart lightly, but it sounds as if you haven't in this case. If you are sure that you have a future with this guy, you shouldn't be afraid of it. Your friend will be hurt, there's no way around it. But if your friendship is strong, it will endure despite this development. Loves come and go, but a true friend is forever. Tell your friend, she may surprise you."

Amy shut the paper and set it on the pool table, hefting herself up to sit on it. "Please, she doesn't know what she's talking about. Seeing the crush of your best friend while she still loves him is just plain scummy."

"And yet you still chase after Sonic," Mina remarked, rolling her eyes.

"That doesn't count," Amy snapped. "Sonic's a special case."

Sally leaned forward in her chair. She didn't really want to be here, she still had work she wanted to do. But all together the girls had dragged her out, insisting that she would do better if she had the chance to relax for a while. She didn't agree, but they had strength in numbers. "How is he a special case?" she asked seriously.

"Because. He's just so PERFECT," Amy answered, sighing. The others presumed she was going into one of her daydreams about her perfect relationship with Sonic.

"I think we've lost her," Fiona commented, leaning back in her seat. "I think if you had to be stuck in a situation like that, you'd be better off sticking with whoever you trusted more. I've been burned by both friends and lovers before," she explained. "But since it doesn't make sense not to trust anyone, I'd say the one you trust more is the more important, and if it means giving up the other, they weren't worth having in the first place."

"That's just cold," Mina said, sitting up and looking at Fiona. "Love and friendship are the most beautiful things there are. I know, I've got both," she said with a smile as she thought about Ash.

"But you haven't had to choose between one or the other," Fiona retorted.

"Yes, I have," Mina told her. "And it was all about Sonic."

"Your crush on him?" Sally asked.

Mina nodded. "Yes. I really did like Sonic, but he was really in love with you, Sally. I tried to make him like me back, but nothing worked. Finally, I actually became your friend, at least in a sense. And when I saw you two kissing in Nack's hideout, I finally gave up on winning him. I couldn't try to ruin what you had, and it made you both happy, so I decided I would be happy for you. I know it's not the same, but there are similarities. Seeing you two together was painful for me, but I got over it. Our friendships endured, and I found someone else."

The others nodded in response to Mina's explanation. Sally turned to face Bunnie, who was slumped over in a chair near her, and asked, "What do you think? You've been pretty quiet today."

"Huh?" Bunnie asked, looking up at Sally. She had been lost deep in thought as she considered the advice everyone was unwittingly given her. Bunnie had written that letter to the relationship consultant a few days ago. She wasn't expecting to have it answered so promptly in time for the next column, so she got a rather unwelcome surprise when Amy started to read her letter. This wasn't the first time she got advice from the mysterious Aly, and the advice hadn't particularly helped her. Aly advised her to keep trying to make it work, so what did she do? Move on to someone else. She wasn't expecting the advice to help much more this time around, but she was down to her last legs, so to speak. "Oh, I don't know… Friends are important, but if you really love someone, isn't that worth fighting for?"

Sally smiled. "Yeah, I agree."

The door to the rec center opened, causing all present heads to turn. Bunnie wished she hadn't looked. In the door stood Sonic and Tails. The hedgehog waved. "Hey, ladies, I promised the kid here I'd teach him a lesson on the pool table. You mind?"

Amy quickly hopped off the table and stepped up to Sonic, smiling brightly. "Of course not, Sonic! Would you let me play too? I'm pretty good at pool too!" The other girls sighed. Ever since Sonic and Sally's breakup, Amy had renewed her efforts to claim Sonic for her own. Her intentions were hard to miss, and it irritated Sonic quite a bit. But he was too nice a guy to come out and just tell her that.

"You try way too hard, Amy," commented Fiona as she got up from her seat. "I'm gonna go see Rotor, he said he would give me a crash course in the new code cracker he made." With that, Fiona waved the others off and left the hut, Tails' eyes following her all the way. Sonic noticed, and nudged Tails' shoulder, giving him a grin and a chuckle when Tails blushed.

"I'm gonna have to pass too," Mina said, getting up. "Ash wants me to rehearse for my concert this weekend. See you all later!" And with that, the only ones in the room were Sonic, Tails, Amy, Sally, and a very quiet Bunnie.

Sonic glanced at Bunnie. "Hey, girl, wanna join in?" he asked with a smile, taking the rack from the side of the pool table and gathering up the balls. "You can help me take these kids to school," he remarked, gesturing at Tails and Amy.

Amy frowned. "I am not a kid!" she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, neither am I!" Tails piped in, grabbing a cue from the wall rack.

Sally observed the group with a warm smile. She had been cooped up in the castle working for so long, she hadn't had the time to give much thought to how much fun her friends were to be with. She watched with admiration as Bunnie got up from her seat, smiling for the first time all day that Sally had seen, and went to join Sonic at the pool table. Sonic had a way with people, Sally mused. He could make anyone feel at home and welcome. He just got under your skin and into your heart that way. As she thought about Sonic, her mind began to wander. It was becoming very hard for her to push Sonic out of her life like she had been. She was beginning to think it wasn't fair of her to tell Sonic to change his ways just to make her happy, and she wanted to tell him that. And now that she had the chance, maybe she'd do just that…

"So, Bunnie, you want stripes or solids?" Sonic asked with a grin, as he leaned over the table and lined up his cue for the first shot.

"Whatever you want, sugar hog," Bunnie answered with a smile as she watched the intent look on Sonic's face as he concentrated on making the perfect shot…

Crack! Sonic's cue struck the ball, sending it careening into the arrangement of balls on the other end of the table. The balls scattered from the force of the shot, and the other three players watched in amazement as two of the solid coloured balls dropped right into adjacent pockets on the table. Sonic grinned, as he stood straight again. "I've always been partial to solids myself."

"Lucky shot," Tails commented, as Sonic moved to make his next shot.

"Lucky shot nothing," Sonic retorted, as he hunched over to make his next shot. Concentrate, concentrate…

"Uh, Sonic?"

The distraction was enough to cause Sonic's carefully aimed shot to miss terribly. His cue hit the ball, but instead of making the carefully lined up shot Sonic intended, it struck the side of his target ball and sent it bouncing off the table's sides before slowing down and coming to a stop. Sonic looked up at Sally, with a raised eyebrow and a semi-pouty look. Bunnie tried to suppress a laugh. Amy flat out giggled, as Tails grinned and snidely asked, "So was that the lesson you were supposed to be teaching me?"

Sonic turned to cast a glare at his younger companion, as Sally turned to Bunnie and said, "I need to borrow your partner for a moment, I'll bring him right back." If Sally caught the blush that formed on Bunnie's face, she didn't mention it. She simply turned to Sonic and asked, "Could I talk to you outside, alone for a moment?"

Sonic's eyes widened a little bit. If circumstances were different, he would have loved to go see Sally alone. But all of a sudden, he started to get a little worried. His eyes moved to Bunnie, to see she also had a sudden look of worry. Stuck for something to say, Sonic began to stammer. "Well, um, I…"

Luck was on Sonic's side today, it seemed. For at that moment, the door to the rec center opened, and in stepped a guard from the palace. Sally turned to face him, and immediately went into commander mode. "What's wrong?" she asked. The soldier approached Sally's side, leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Sally's eyes widened as she listened and nodded. When the soldier was finished, Sally answered, "Thank you."

"What's up, Sally-girl?" Bunnie asked, thankful for the reprieve from the close call.

"Gather the other Freedom Fighters and come to the palace. Robotnik's on the move."

Then again, Sonic mused, perhaps luck wasn't on his side after all.

* * *

"Our spies have detected increased SWATbot activity in an area 500 kilometers south of New Megaopolis," began Sally's briefing. The Freedom Fighters and key members of the Knothole armed forces sat in the audience seats surrounding the Technolo-tree, while Sally stood in the middle, addressing the gathering. As she spoke, Rotor called up images on the numerous monitors surrounding the cybernetically augmented florae to illustrate her points. The Freedom Fighters had front row seats to the action. Sonic, Bunnie, Fiona, and Tails joined Knuckles and the Chaotix, paying attention to Sally's address. Sonic and Bunnie found themselves alternating between watching Sally and passing casual glances to each other. It had been a close call in the game room. They both knew their time for delay was short. But for now, they had another life and death situation to worry about. 

"Scouts on the ground have detected increased activity throughout the area. A factory there is receiving regular shipments of minerals, fuel, and circuitry," Sally continued. "We were finally able to get scouts into the factory earlier today, and we have learned shocking news." She gestured to Rotor, who nodded to her and tapped a few keys on his keyboard. The image on the monitors changed, greeted by the shocked gasps and mutterings of the assembly. Displayed now was the inside of an aircraft hanger. And being constructed there was a large, heavily armored battleship bearing Dr. Robotnik's unmistakable grinning face slogan. "This battleship stretches ten kilometers in length, and is armed with enough firepower to raze any heavily populated area on Mobius to ashes in a matter of minutes."

"No way," Sonic muttered, as he got up from his seat, staring at the horrifying image. Bunnie stood up next to him, putting an arm on his shoulder to steady him. "We've gotta trash that thing and fast."

"It gets worse," Sally added, looking to Sonic. "We have also learned that this vessel is in fact only the first in an entire armada of warships Robotnik is building. Once construction is complete on this ship, work will begin on the rest." Turning from Sonic, Sally continued the briefing. Bunnie pulled on Sonic's arm gently to get him to sit down again. Sonic looked at her, showing his concern in his eyes, as she took his hand, twining her fingers with his. "Fortunately, Robotnik is unaware that we've gotten wind of his plan, so the element of surprise is on our side. Most of the SWATbots have been spread out over a wide area, in an attempt to throw us off, so the factory is only manned by minimal security personnel. A small group should be able to get into the factory unnoticed, set explosive charges, and destroy it before they have time to react, while the remainder of our forces engage Robotnik's troops in other locations to buy the team some time. Now, we're going to need a fast and skilled team to head into the factory, so I'm assigning Bunnie, Fiona, Knuckles, and the Chaotix to infiltrate the factory. Fiona, it'll be your job to disable security systems while the others set the charges. Sonic…"

Sonic got up, about to argue with Sally about letting him go. "Sal, I…"

"I want you to lead the mission," Sally finished.

All heads turned to Sonic, who had on his face one of the most surprised looks any of them had seen in a long time. "What was that? I think I had something in my ear."

"I want you to lead the factory raid," Sally repeated, turning to face him. "You have a head for strategy on the field, and this mission is going to require speed and stealth. I'm counting on you."

Sonic looked completely shocked. All he could do was nod in response and sit down again. The rest of the meeting was somewhat of a blur to him, as he tried to get his head past what was just happening. Sally was starting to trust him. She had tried to tell him she still loved him earlier. And he was no closer to telling her he found someone else.

Sonic's eyes fell on Bunnie, as he seemed to beg for her support. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. Somehow, that simple gesture seemed to mean everything to the hedgehog.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" came the snarky voice of the crocodile Vector, as the jet flew towards its destination. The croc was chewing a wad of gum and listening to music through his headphones while the rest of the strike force prepared for the coming mission. His boredom was getting on the nerves of his teammates, in particular the pink female echidna sitting next to Knuckles. 

Julie-Su turned her head to face him, a scowl on his face. "You say that one more time, and I'm gonna rip every tooth out of your skull."

Vector was about to open his mouth and start a shouting match with Julie-Su, before her boyfriend intervened. "Both of you, quit it. We've got a job to do, we can't fight amongst each other like this," Knuckles ordered, casting them a glare that showed he wasn't kidding around.

Bunnie watched the exchange with no small amount of amusement. The rivalry between Vector and Julie-Su never ceased to entertain her. The way they bickered, Bunnnie thought if Julie-Su wasn't seeing Knuckles, she and Vector would be all over each other. The thought of little echidnas with crocodile tails running around was enough to make her giggle to herself.

Bunnie's attention was slowly drawn to the hedgehog hero standing at the back of the plane. Sonic was leaning against the back wall, arms crossed and a face that betrayed his worry. Bunnie knew that the mission was only one of his worries. She got up from her seat and went to join Sonic. "Penny for your thoughts, sug?" she asked, leaning next to him.

Sonic turned his head to face her. He lifted his hand up to illustrate his point as he explained, "I came this close to actually wanting Sally to take me back earlier. That close. And I feel terrible about it."

Bunnie put her hand on his shoulder. "You couldn't help it," she told him, though inside her heart sank a bit.

"I can't keep doing this," Sonic added. "I've decided, as soon as this mission is over, I'm telling her."

"Sonic…"

"You mean a lot to me. I want to be with you, and I can't do that until I tell Sally," Sonic explained. "I'm just sorry it's taking me so long. You deserve better."

Bunnie gave a disheartened sigh. "I'll help you tell her once we get back, okay, sug?" she asked him, squeezing his shoulder. "I want to be with you too."

As much as he wanted to just take her in his arms and kiss her right now, he restrained himself from doing so in front of so many people. Instead, Sonic just lifted his hand to take the one on his shoulder, and brought it up to his lips to give it a discrete kiss. "Thank you," he replied to her, a weak smile on his face.

"Sonic!" He immediately let go of Bunnie's hand and turned to the front of the craft as the voice called out to him. "We're nearing the drop off point," Fiona reported, as she prepared the ship to touch down.

"All right," Sonic answered. "Bring us down out of range of their sensors, we'll make the rest of the trip on foot."

"Got it." Fiona began the landing procedure after receiving her instructions. The factory was located in a heavily forested area. It provided ample cover for any installation located nearby, and fortunately for the Freedom Fighters, it also meant cover for their landing. The craft hovered just out of view of the factory's observation equipment, and began to lower into the woods. Fiona concentrated on the controls, careful to land straight and miss any stray branches that could damage the jet, lowering the landing gear, and… "We're down," she reported.

"Good," Sonic answered, getting up and heading for the door to the craft. He turned around and addressed the group, "All right, we've gotta do this fast, so listen up. Fiona, Mighty, you two are gonna track down the security center and disable cameras, alarms, whatever. Mighty, you're gonna need to cover her."

"Got it," Mighty replied, smirking and flexing his arm. Fiona rolled her eyes, but nodded in affirmation.

Sonic continued, "Vector, Espio, and Julie-Su, you three take half the charges and cover the western section of the factory. Bunnie, Knuckles and me are gonna take the eastern section. Everyone got it?"

"What about us?" Charmy piped up, getting up from his seat.

"Yeah, what are we supposed to do?" Ray added.

"You two stay with the ship. If anything goes wrong, we're gonna need a quick getaway, so at the first sign of trouble you get this thing in the air," Sonic instructed. Everyone was impressed. Not one of them had assumed Sonic had a flair for strategy before. Bunnie especially was impressed. He was just full of surprises. "All right, let's do it to it."

* * *

"GAMMA UNIT REPORTING. SECTOR 6 IS SECURE," droned the mechanical voice of the SWATbot squad leader over its intercom. The routine inspection of the area yielded the same results as always. No abnormal activity. 

That is of course, until the lights went out.

"ATTENTION, MALFUNCTION IN POWER GRID—" the robot began to report, before being silenced by the gloved fist slamming through its chest cavity. The other two robots didn't have the chance to retaliate, as they met similar ends at the hands of a powerful metallic fist and a spinning mass of blue quills.

Once the guard robots were rent asunder, Sonic lifted his wrist and spoke into the communicator, "We're in. Nice job, guys."

"Thanks," Fiona replied from the other end of the communicator. "Mighty is keeping an eye out for more guards, I'm not sure how much of a security blackout we can give you, so hurry."

"Gotcha," Sonic answered, lowering his wrist. To his companions, he said, "Now then, let's redecorate this place."

Knuckles passed over a bag of explosive charges. "Go for it, speedy," he told him. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Hey, it's me," Sonic answered with a grin. "What have we got to worry about?" With that, he was gone, racing down through the corridors. Bunnie walked up to the railing overlooking the hanger, and gazed down at the monstrous construction that lay below.

"Horrible, ain't it?" she asked Knuckles.

"No kidding," Knuckles replied. "This had better work, or we're all in trouble." Knuckles looked at her. "I've been wondering something. How long have you and Sonic been dating?"

Bunnie was about to answer, but stopped herself once she realized just what he was asking her. "W-w-what are you talking about?" she asked, trying to hide the blush that was forming. Oh Aurora, who else knew!

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Don't play that with me, I saw you two holding hands at the meeting, trying to make sure nobody else saw. You two've been closer than usual for the last few days, hard NOT to notice after that. So how long has it been?"

Bunnie was surprised by Knuckles' intuition. She was either too obvious, or Knuckles was too perceptive. She knew it was no use lying now. "About two weeks now," she answered, not meeting his look.

"Having a good time?" he asked. "I don't see how anyone can put up with that blowhard for too long."

Bunnie couldn't help but smile. "He's full of himself, but he's a sweet guy."

"If you say so," Knuckles replied, shaking his head and looking down into the hanger, catching a glimpse of Sonic running by. "Looks like he's almost done."

"Not a minute too soon, sug," Bunnie answered, looking over the railing too. After a moment, Sonic stopped, looked up, and gave them a thumbs-up. Bunnie smiled down at him and returned the gesture.

And then her eyes widened.

"Sonic, look out!" she called out. Sonic whirled around in time to see a larger than normal SWATbot standing behind him. He hadn't heard it approach, it must have had some form of stealth mode.

Sonic tried to get away, but the robot was too fast. A metallic hand shot out and grabbed Sonic's arm, lifting him into the air to face the robot's visor. "You will not interfere with Father's plans," droned a familiar mechanical voice.

Sonic struggled in the robot's grasp. "Nice to see you again, A.D.A.M., but I've gotta juice!" he shouted, swinging his feet up and kicking off of Adam's chest, to pull away. Adam's grip was tight, but Sonic managed to get free. Quickly, Adam's other hand shot out and grabbed Sonic's arm, giving it a sharp pull. Sonic let out a pained sound as he fell to the floor with his arm pointing backwards.

"Sonic!" Bunnie shouted, jumping the railing and firing off her leg jets to slow her descent to Adam's level. Knuckles jumped over to follow her, gliding down. Knuckles reached the ground first, grabbing Adam around the neck and hanging onto his back. He brought his fist back and smashed into Adam's back, leaving a dent. Bunnie immediately went to Sonic's side, kneeling next to him. "Are you okay?" she asked, worry evident on her face.

"I'll be okay," Sonic grunted. "Just a scratch. Don't worry about me, worry about Adam."

Bunnie nodded. "We'll get him," she assured him, leaning over and kissing his forehead before getting to her feet. As she turned to face Adam, Knuckles flew through the air and managed to flip himself to land on his feet next to Bunnie.

"You will not prevent me from collecting Father's prize," Adam droned as he stomped towards them. "You cannot defeat me."

"Wanna bet, sug?" Bunnie asked, clenching her fist.

"You're gonna have to go through us first, tin soldier," Knuckles stated, punching his fist into his palm.

"If that is your wish," Adam began, lifting his arm mounted laser cannon, "so be it."

"Both of you, get down!" Bunnie and Knuckles whipped their heads around in time to see Sonic, holding his arm, start to run up to Adam. The two of them jumped to the side as Sonic passed them, leaping to curl into his trademark spin attack. Adam quickly fired off a shot, grazing Sonic's leg and causing him to cringe, but it didn't stop him. He curled up as tight as he could, and slammed into Adam. His quills tore through Adam's armor like tissue paper, and sparks flew from the severed wires. Sonic landed behind Adam, grimacing and falling to the ground, his arm and leg firing pain all through him as Adam fell in half and crumbled to the ground, deactivated.

Quick as a flash, Bunnie and Knuckles went to Sonic's aid. Knuckles turned on his communicator, and told Fiona that their mission was complete, that they were pulling out, and that Sonic was wounded. While he did this, Bunnie helped Sonic up. "Come on, sug, let's get you out of here."

"I can make it, don't worry about me," Sonic grunted, wincing as she helped him to his feet.

"Just shut up and let us help you," Knuckles ordered, putting one of Sonic's arms around his shoulder. Bunnie got under his other arm, and together the two of them helped him out of the factory.

Soon after, a SWATbot arrived. Adam had transferred his consciousness before his destruction, but was surprised to see his prey gone. Then, he noticed a blinking red light. Before he could instruct any units to disable the explosives, they went off, and as the plane outside took off, all that remained of the factory was a flaming crater and the ruins of the once proud and terrifying airship therein.

* * *

"Can he see anyone now, doctor?" asked Bunnie, who stood in the waiting room of Doctor Quack's clinic, tapping her foot pensively while she awaited word of the condition of her friend. 

Doctor Quack was glancing at a clipboard, his cane making a dull tapping sound as he walked out into the spacious waiting room. He was brought out of his distraction by the rabbit's voice, and he ventured a glance up to face her. "He'll be all right, Bunnie, his arm was just dislocated and his leg burned. We've set his arm and his leg is bandaged, but we would like to keep him here for a while longer. If you want to go visit him, he's just down the hall that way," he answered, before returning to his work. "Princess Sally should be here soon, I've had word sent to her about Sonic's condition."

"Thanks, doc," Bunnie told him, starting off down the path he indicated to her. She was determined to see Sonic alone before Sally arrived. She had been worrying about him since their return, and hadn't left the hospital while the doctor was examining him. Knuckles, who knew full well why she was so concerned, had stayed there with her to keep her company until Julie-Su came to get him. She had appreciated the thought.

Finally, she arrived at the oak door to the room Sonic was in. The marker on the door indicated he was the only patient inside, thankfully for her. She lifted a hand, and rapped upon the door. "It's open!" came the familiar male voice inside.

Sonic looked up from his magazine to see Bunnie walk in the door, shut it, and lean back against it, shaking her head. "Oh, Sonic. You need to be more careful with yourself."

"Don't YOU start," Sonic said, rolling his eyes and setting his magazine to the side. "I've heard this lecture enough from Sally," he explained.

To his surprise, rather than lecture her, Bunnie walked up to Sonic's bedside and pulled up a nearby chair. Taking a seat, she smiled weakly and asked, "Some date, huh?"

Sonic paused for a moment, taking in the surprise he felt at her lack of anger, and returned her smile. "That does it, I'm never going back to THAT place. The waiter's rude."

"But at least we did what we had to do," Bunnie added, reaching out and clasping his good hand. "You did good," she complimented. "I knew you would."

"Glad to see at least YOU believe in my awesome skills," Sonic said, a grin on his face. "You weren't bad yourself. You guys really did a number on those 'bots."

"Flatterer," Bunnie replied, smiling. "The doctor says they want to keep you here a while longer, but they'll be sending you back home before long."

"Good," Sonic answered, leaning his head back. "Sitting cooped up here with a bum leg and arm just isn't my style, you know?"

Bunnie nodded. "Believe me, I know."

"Bunnie," Sonic started, "thanks for looking out for me."

Her smile just got brighter. "Any time, sugar," she said, leaning forward to give him a kiss.

Just moments before their lips met, there was a knocking at the door. Bunnie quickly sat up, blushing while she fixed herself up and tried to fight back her reddening face. Sonic's breath came quick for a moment, but he regulated his breathing back to a normal pace, before saying as calmly as he could, "It's open!"

When the door opened, the pair suddenly became a lot more worried. In came Sally, accompanied by Tails. Sally looked very worried, and Tails just looked relieved to see Sonic. The kit hurried to the bedside, smiling. "Sonic! See, Aunt Sally? I told you he'd be all right!"

"I shouldn't have doubted you, sweetie," Sally replied, smiling in relief. "You need to be more careful, Sonic," she told the hedgehog. "I don't know what the kingdom would have done if you were killed. I don't know what I would have done…"

"It's all right," Sonic reassured her, his eyes moving to Bunnie momentarily, while he assured Sally that he was uninjured. "Just got knocked around a bit by Adam. No biggie."

"No biggie?" Sally asked, surprised. "He dislocated your arm and shot you, and you say it's no biggie!"

Sonic looked taken aback. "Well… yeah. Could've been worse."

"Yeah, he could have killed you!" Sally shouted, before stopping herself and forcing herself to calm. Bunnie and Tails watched her with no small bit of surprise at her outburst. Sally sighed. "Bunnie, Tails, could you step outside for a while? I'd like to talk to Sonic alone."

Sonic almost started to panic. He couldn't escape this time. Bunnie tried to buy him some time, asking, "Sally girl, maybe Sonic should rest—"

"Bunnie, please," Sally said, turning to her, "This is something I really need to do. Please?"

Bunnie knew there was no way out of it now. She slowly nodded. "All right, Sally girl." Bunnie started to usher Tails out of the room. Everything rested on Sonic now. She promised him they would tell her together, but neither of them anticipated this series of events. All she could do now, she reasoned, as she closed the door behind her, was hope that Sonic could say what he wanted to say to her.

When the door shut, Sally hurried up to Sonic's bedside, throwing her arms around him and hugging him close. "Sonic, I'm so sorry for what I've been doing to you," she sobbed.

"Sally, it's okay, really," Sonic tried to say while making an attempt to get her off of him. He was alone now, Bunnie couldn't go to his aid, the first time since they started to be together, and that knowledge almost made him feel… helpless.

"No, it's not okay." Sally lifted her head and looked deep into his eyes. There was no mistaking her intentions now. "Sonic, I should never have done that to you. It was completely selfish of me. I know I said I didn't love you anymore, but that's not true…" Sally's face slowly moved closer to Sonic's as she spoke. He could feel her warm breath against his face. "I love you Sonic Hedgehog, now more than ever. I've never stopped loving you, and I know you still love me. I'm sorry I took so long to say so."

"Sally, I—" Sonic began, but was cut off as he felt Sally's lips press against his own, cutting him off with a firm, loving kiss.

Bunnie sat outside the hospital room, leaning against the wall, eavesdropping on the conversation. As she heard Sally's words and what sounded like Sonic giving in, tears began to stream down her face and she slumped down the wall, resting her hand in her palms. Tails, who she had assumed had left, sat down next to her, obviously concerned about her. The kit's hand went out around her back, as he leaned against her, stroking her arm. "What's gonna happen?" Tails asked.

"I don't know," Bunnie replied, choking back tears as best she could, while she forced herself to listen on.

Sally's lips moved over Sonic's, as she finally was able to vent all of her frustrations, worries, and feelings she had bottled up inside her for so long in the kiss she shared with the hedgehog.

Sonic was also getting into it. His mind was aflame with the idea that Sally finally came back to him, that he could be with her again and everything could go back to the way it was. But then a familiar face appeared in his mind. And then he remembered the one thing he had always hoped wasn't true since he returned. The past is gone. Things are different now, for better or worse. Sally left his life, and someone else moved in. And when he thought about Bunnie's face, how she would feel knowing what was happening here, his mind was grounded from its flight of fancy. He loved Bunnie. He couldn't do this to her. He shouldn't do this to her. He wouldn't do this to her.

"Sal," Sonic tried to say through the kiss. When it became evident that Sally's affections for him would not be thwarted with mere words, Sonic lifted his good arm and started to physically push Sally off of him. "Sally!" Sonic shouted. "Stop it!"

Sally looked confused. "What's wrong? I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked, worried that she had irritated his injured arm or leg with her vehement affections.

"I can't do this," Sonic told her. "I just… I can't."

Sally blinked. "But why? Don't you love me?" she asked. "Aren't we meant to be together? Right?"

Sonic was quiet. He averted his gaze from her. Finally, Sally understood.

"You didn't," Sally said, almost a whisper. "You found someone else, didn't you?" she asked, accusingly.

"Sally, I—"

"I don't want to hear it!" Sally shouted, getting up. The affectionate look she gave him was gone now. In its place was a face marred by pain and anger. "How could you!" she demanded.

"How could I…?" Sonic asked, shocked by what he was hearing.

"How could you do that when you KNEW I still loved you?" Sally shouted at him.

Sonic sat up. He couldn't believe this. "Knew you still loved me! Who broke up with me ON STAGE in front of the entire village? Who told me in the halls after we rescued Tommy that we shouldn't fool ourselves and that it'll never work out between us? What did you expect me to do, pine after you the rest of my life!"

Sally's face was red. "How DARE you speak to me that way!" She stood up, glaring down at him. "I am a princess, and I expect you to address me as such!" She turned away from him. "I have nothing more to say to you. Rest up, you have a lot of work to do saving the world and tending your whore." That said, Sally stormed out of the room. When she left, Sonic just sat in his bed, stunned to his very core. He could not have foreseen Sally's response to the very idea that he was in love with someone else. He couldn't believe her selfishness in the matter. She broke up with him and just expected him to sit around and wait for her to decide she would deign to take him back? All of a sudden, Sonic didn't feel well. He lay down in the hospital bed slowly, pulling the sheets up to his shoulders. He didn't think even talking to Bunnie would make him feel better now.

Outside the hospital room, Sally stopped walking, and the anger on her face disappeared. All that was left was the pain. Bunnie was listening to the heated exchange. While she didn't appreciate being referred to as a whore, Sally was still her friend. She stood up and put her hand on Sally's shoulder. Sally turned her head, and a moment later, threw her arms around Bunnie and started sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder. Yes, Sally was still her friend. How long she would remain that way was another question.

* * *

Sonic felt lower than dirt. Ever since the incident at the clinic, Sally wouldn't give him the time of day. Whenever they were together, she seemed to go out of her way to make him feel unwelcome. She still hadn't figured out WHO he was seeing, and he was relieved for that. Bunnie didn't need to be dragged down along with him. Throughout the last few days, he knew where all of his friends stood. A good few of them made it clear that they thought he was making a mistake, but there were those who believed he should be following his heart, like Mina. He was glad for the support, it was a reprieve from how horrible he felt. He hadn't seen Bunnie in a while now. Sally needed support of her own, and so Bunnie had been staying with her. Sonic wasn't sure if she would tell Sally about her role in the situation, but he almost found himself hoping she didn't. He began to think that what they were doing was a mistake, if all that it led to was more trouble than they started with. 

That night, he knew he had to see her. When everyone was asleep in his house, Sonic slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the window of his bedroom. As the hedgehog slid the window open quietly, he caught sight of movement in the darkened room. He turned… and saw Tails sitting up in bed, watching him. "Where are you going?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

Sonic sighed. "I've gotta get out of here," he said.

"To see Aunt Bunnie?" Tails asked.

After a moment, Sonic nodded. "Yeah."

Tails sat there looking at Sonic. The fighting of the last few days was taking their toll on the kit too. Watching his surrogate family being torn apart by something that he thought should have made them happy hurt him deeply. "Please, can you make the fighting stop?" Tails asked him hopefully.

"I really want to," Sonic answered. "I really do. Go back to sleep, okay?" When Tails nodded and lay back down, Sonic returned to the window. He pushed it up and slipped outside, hopping to the ground and sprinting in the direction of Bunnie's hut. When Sonic left the room, Tails got back up again. He had a feeling things were about to get worse. The kit hopped down from his bed, pulled his shoes on, and followed Sonic out the window, keeping his distance as he shadowed the hedgehog.

Sonic stopped just short of the door to Bunnie's hut. Taking a deep breath, he reached out a hand to knock on it. His hand stopped as the door opened before he even got a chance to knock. Bunnie stood in the doorframe, her frame seemingly burdened with sorrow. "I saw you coming up," Bunnie told him.

"Can I come in?" Sonic asked.

Bunnie stepped aside and gestured to allow Sonic into her hut. "To be honest, I was expecting you."

"You were?" he asked.

She nodded. "I've wanted to see you… I haven't had much of a chance to see you for days now." Her arms went around Sonic as she pulled him close to her. "I'm so sorry for what's happening to you…"

After a moment, Sonic's arms went around Bunnie's waist and he hugged her back. "I did it to myself," he told her half-heartedly. "Bunnie, I think we need to talk." She looked up at him, pulling away from him a bit. "We should… stop seeing each other."

"What…?" Bunnie asked him, not believing what she was hearing.

"It's brought nothing but trouble for both of us," Sonic said, letting go of her and turning away. "I'm on the outs with almost all the Freedom Fighters AND Sally. After what's happened to me, I just… I don't want to put you through this."

Bunnie shook her head. "I don't believe how selfish you're being."

Sonic lifted his head. "Selfish…? I'm not being selfish! I want to help you!"

"If you want to help me, do something for me," Bunnie instructed, taking a step closer to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Turn around, look me in the eye, and tell me you don't want to be with me."

"I don't—"

"Do it," Bunnie ordered. "Or I won't believe you."

Sonic took a deep breath, and slowly turned around. "Bunnie, I… I…" Finally, Sonic's gaze met hers as he lifted his head. He looked into her deep green eyes, eyes that knew great hardships, eyes that showed sympathy, eyes that showed deep love and affection…

Sonic couldn't force himself to say it. His arms went around her quickly, and his lips captured Bunnie's in a powerful kiss. He couldn't say it because he didn't mean it. And she had known. "I love you Bunnie Rabbot," Sonic mumbled into her lips as he kissed her.

"And I love you, Sonic Hedgehog," she replied, running her fingers through his quills.

"What are we gonna do?" Sonic asked her, holding on to her tightly.

Bunnie looked at him. "I ain't gonna stand by and watch you go through this any longer. We're going to the palace now, I'm going to tell Sally we're in love, and whatever will be will be."

"Are you sure about this?" Sonic asked her, rubbing her arm softly.

"One hundred percent," she replied. "I want to be with you in the open. I want everyone to know how much I love you, and if Sally doesn't like it, I don't care."

Sonic smiled at her. "Thank you, Bunnie."

Tails was listening outside the hut all the time, his emotions a virtual roller coaster. Things were changing so much around him he felt hard pressed to keep up. When Sonic and Bunnie left the hut, Tails watched and followed closely, keeping out of sight. He noticed that the two of them were holding hands and walking, not running. Quite unlike Sonic to do anything slowly, he mused, but then guessed that they likely wanted to prolong the wait before they saw Sally. He reasoned that were he in their position, he probably would do the same thing.

* * *

"Come in," Sally called out. She was currently in her room in the palace, keeping herself busy with reports, something she had tried to do to alleviate her pain. Sally found that work was a good distraction for her, and she needed that now more than ever. And when the door opened, she wished she hadn't said anything. For Bunnie came in, accompanied by the source of her despair. "Why did you bring HIM here?" Sally asked angrily. "I don't have anything to say to him." 

"Sally girl," Bunnie began, "he doesn't have anything to say to you. I do."

Sally looked up from her desk. "What is it?"

Bunnie took a deep breath. The moment of truth was at hand. "Sally… I'm the one Sonic's been seeing."

Sally was speechless. She couldn't have just heard that. She must be mistaken. I mean, Sonic and Bunnie? Together? If ever there was one thing she couldn't possibly have considered, it was that. "What…?" she asked disbelievingly.

Bunnie reached out her hand and took Sonic's. "Sonic and I are in love, Sally girl," she said again. Sonic could tell Bunnie's confidence was a mask. Inside, she was as shaky as he was.

"I can't believe you," Sally began, her voice quiet and shaky as realization began to sink in. Sonic and Bunnie were together… "How could you do this to me?"

"Sally girl, I'm sorry," Bunnie said, taking a step towards Sally. "I should have—"

She was cut off by the sharp slap Sally delivered across her face. Immediately, Sonic went to Bunnie's side, while the rabbit's hand went to her cheek and she looked at Sally in disbelief. "I don't want to hear it!" Sally exclaimed. "How could you do this to me? You're my friend!"

"I'm still your friend…!" Bunnie tried to say.

"How long has this been going on?" Sally demanded, all hint of tolerance gone from her voice. She wanted answers.

The two were quiet for a moment. Finally, Sonic broke the silence. "About a month."

"A month!" Sally shouted. "And you decided to just let me fool myself for that long! Did you get off on my cluelessness!"

"That's just unfair, Sal!" Sonic retorted angrily.

"No, Sonic, what's unfair is leaving me out of the loop like this," Sally shouted back, making Sonic back down. "I can't believe how selfish you two are! Just get out of here! Now!"

"Sally girl, please—"

"NOW!" Sally demanded, turning away from them.

The two hesitated for a moment, before Bunnie took Sonic's hand and started to lead him out. Before they left, Sonic turned back to face her. "I'm sorry, Sally," Sonic told her.

"I'll call for the guards to remove you both," Sally threatened. Knowing he was defeated, Sonic turned back to Bunnie, his face looking heavy with pain. Sally's words struck the both of them with deadly force. They weren't expecting anything good coming from this, but this was beyond either of their expectations. If there was ever any chance to fix things, it was gone now. Defeated, the pair of them left.

Outside the castle, Bunnie rested her head against Sonic's shoulder. Sonic was the first of them to speak. "Can I stay with you tonight?" he asked her.

She looked up at him. "Whatever happened to the tough as nails hedgehog?" she asked, unable to muster up any hint of playfulness in her voice.

"I guess he's not as strong as either of us thought," Sonic replied to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

* * *

Sally's head rested on her desk as she sobbed uncontrollably. Her mind reeled from the revelations today. Sonic and Bunnie were together? They didn't tell her? And she had spent the last few days getting comfort from Bunnie, not even knowing that she had betrayed her. They should have told her. Why did this have to happen? She always assumed Sonic was the only one for her, and she the only one for him. Now she didn't know what to think. 

There was a knock on her door.

"Go away, you two, or so help me," Sally began, her voice trailing off and betraying her frustration.

Another surprise tonight, Sally mused, as the door creaked open revealing a very nervous looking young fox cub standing there. "Aunt Sally?" Tails asked. "Are you okay?"

Sally wiped her tears away. "I'm just fine, hon," Sally replied. "I'm just fine."

"You're crying," Tails said, walking in.

"No," Sally quickly announced, turning to face him. "I mean it, I'm all right, sweetie."

"You found out about Aunt Bunnie and Sonic, didn't you?"

Sally's eyes widened. Was she the only one who didn't know? "How did you…"

"I saw them together one night and they told me," Tails explained. "I didn't tell you because they said they wanted to do it themselves."

Sally wanted so much to be angry at Tails. She wanted to be mad, she wanted to tell herself that he betrayed her too, but… "How could they do that to me?" Sally asked. "I just… I don't know anymore," she said, sitting down with a defeated tone in her voice.

Tails looked at her. "Shouldn't you be happy for them?" he asked.

Sally looked up at him. "What was that?"

"I mean," Tails began, "it makes them happy doesn't it? Shouldn't you be happy for them?"

"It's not that simple," Sally told him, putting her head in her palm. "Sonic—"

"Why can't it be that simple?" Tails asked. "They told me it's not that simple too, but I don't get it. Why can't we be happy for our friends if they're happy? Sure it's a surprise, but in the end, they're our friends."

Sally listened and a part of her wished what he said was true. Then she wouldn't be in such pain right now. "That's not the point, they betrayed me, Tails," Sally told him. "They didn't tell me and let me think I had a future with Sonic. They were underhanded, deceitful—"

"They didn't tell you because they were worried about you."

Sally paused. "What did you say?"

With a face that was starting to betray his own sadness and anxiety, Tails explained. "When I asked them why they didn't tell you, they said it was because they didn't want to hurt you. You were so busy and stressed that they were worried that telling you would just add on to your problems."

Sally was quiet for a moment. From anyone else, she wouldn't have believed it and simply assumed that they were trying to trick her too. But this was Tails. She knew he didn't have a malicious bone in his body. "Why did it have to be her?" she asked. "Of all the people he had to be with, why did it have to be my best friend?"

Tails shook his head. "I tried to understand it myself ever since I found out," he told her. "If you really want to know, why don't you go ask them?"

Sally didn't say anything else after that. She simply approached Tails and gave him a tight hug. She underestimated the wisdom of the kit, she realized. "I think I will," she told him. "Thank you, Tails," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Are you all still gonna be fighting?" Tails asked, obvious worry heavy on his voice.

"I don't know," Sally replied. "But we'll find out soon."

* * *

Sonic couldn't sleep. Even with Bunnie there in the warm bed with him, he just couldn't drift off, not with all the thoughts swimming through his mind. So much had happened that night, and none of it good. His relationship with Sally was damaged irreparably, and now so was Bunnie's. And he felt responsible for it. He knew he didn't always have the best judgment. For that matter, he never seemed to have the best judgment, especially when it came to his relationships with other people. He should have told Sally sooner, but if he did she wouldn't have been able to do her job properly. He almost told himself that it was a mistake to be with Bunnie, but when he looked down at her sleeping form, he just couldn't. She had grown to mean a lot to him in the short time they had been lovers. When they were together he felt better than he ever had before. She was kind and understanding, someone who shared his love of adventure and who he could make laugh and would make him laugh… 

But then there was Sally. He loved her too once. When they were first battling Robotnik, before the kingdom was restored, they had a mutual crush. It was different from what he had now with Bunnie, but then it was very special to him. Now, it seemed to him that he had only been with Sally a short time before the real world came to crush their relationship, and he wondered if that was what was happening with him and Bunnie now. But he reminded himself of a key difference. He and Bunnie were trying to make it work; he and Sally didn't even try.

The hedgehog pushed the covers off of himself and slid out of the bed, slowly and quietly so as not to wake Bunnie, trotted into her living room and sat himself down on the couch. It was no use trying to sleep now. He leaned back, draping his arms over the back of the couch, and stared up at the ceiling.

He was startled as a moment later, he felt something against his side. Sonic quickly looked down and saw Bunnie there, wearing a pink robe, sitting next to him and leaning against him. "Couldn't sleep, sugar?" she asked him.

Sonic sighed. "Nope. I didn't mean to wake you," he apologized.

"It's no problem," she replied. "To be honest, I couldn't sleep either."

Sonic brought his arm around her shoulders, holding her against his side and resting his head against hers. "We'll make it through this," Sonic told her.

"I hope you're right," Bunnie replied.

Both of them stopped as a light knocking sound pierced the otherwise silent room. Bunnie sat up, looking at Sonic and blinking. "Who could that be at this time of night?" she asked curiously, getting up from the couch. Bunnie cinched up her robe as she trotted to the door, and slowly opened it.

Seeing Sally standing there was enough to send Sonic immediately on the defensive. No longer lethargic by any means, Sonic immediately got to his feet, looking at her as if he was expecting a fight any moment. His mind reeled when he saw what Sally did next. She threw her arms around Bunnie's neck and hugged her tight. The only words she uttered were "I'm sorry."

"Easy, Sally girl," Bunnie told her, perplexed, as she led Sally inside and shut the door behind her. "What are you doing here?" she asked, curious at Sally's sudden change of attitude.

Sally sat on Bunnie's couch, clasping her hands in front of her. Sonic stood next to her, looking down at her. He was still prepared for an argument at any moment, but he was willing to let Sally say her piece. "I realized that some of what I said was unfair," she started. "It wasn't fair of me to brush Sonic off and expect him to still want to be with me."

Bunnie raised her eyebrows. Sitting next to Sally gingerly, she asked, "What brought this on?"

Sally let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Tails. He's a lot wiser than I gave him credit." Bunnie nodded in agreement. "I just want to know one thing," Sally told her, looking up into Bunnie's eyes. "Why? I just can't understand. Why you two?"

Sonic looked down at Bunnie. Bunnie took a breath and explained, "Because we each needed someone sympathetic to the other's problems, and we found that person in each other."

Sally averted her gaze from Bunnie's, and looked down at her hands. "Sally girl," Bunnie said, "we're still your friends. We don't want that to change."

Sally looked up at them quietly. After a moment of thought she answered truthfully, "I guess I don't want it to change either." With that, Sally got to her feet.

"Sal," Sonic started, "are you going to be okay with us being together?"

"Not for a while," Sally answered. "But I suppose… I could get used to it, if this is really what you two want. After all," she told them, smiling weakly at them, "you are my best friends."

After the pair saw Sally out, Bunnie closed the door behind her and turned to Sonic. Sally's words were ringing in her mind, as she thought of Sonic. She began to wonder about their lives. She tried to imagine herself with Sonic in the future, settled down maybe with some children, and the thoughts forced her to voice the question that had been forming. "Do you really think we have a future together?" she asked the hedgehog. "I mean, is this really what we want?"

Sonic smiled back at her and moved closer to her, pulling the ties to her robe. "After everything we've been through, do you really have any doubts?" he asked, sliding his hands in under her robe to wrap around her waist. "I love you, Bunnie Rabbot. Whatever the future holds, we'll face it together."

Bunnie had all the answer she needed then. She smiled back, leaning up to kiss him lovingly. "And I love you, Sonic Hedgehog."

Sonic reached down and scooped Bunnie up into his arms, starting to carry her back to her room. "There's something else I wanted to know," Bunnie asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Ask away," Sonic replied.

"I know your real middle name," Bunnie began, "but when are you gonna tell me your real first name?"

Sonic chuckled. "Well, a guy's gotta have SOME secrets, doesn't he?" he asked, as he lay her on the bed. In response, Bunnie smirked at him, tugging his face down to kiss him.

Neither of them had any trouble sleeping after that.


End file.
